Quotes from Brene Brown

Take good care" has to do with how we take care of ourselves and each other: I treat my colleagues with respect and compassion by responding when appropriate in a timely and professional manner. I practice gratitude with my team and colleagues. I am mindful of other people's time.

Connection: Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment.

Women, who feel shame when they don't feel heard or validated, often resort to pushing and provoking with criticism ("Why don't you ever do enough?" or "You never get it right"). Men, in turn, who feel shame when they feel criticized for being inadequate, either shut down (leading women to poke and provoke more) or come back with anger.

we've survived and are surviving events that have torn at our sense of safety with such force that we've experienced them as trauma even if we weren't directly involved.

I'm not suggesting that we worry about worry, but it's helpful to recognize that worrying is not a helpful coping mechanism, that we absolutely can learn how to control it, and that rather than suppressing worry, we need to dig into and address the emotion driving the thinking.

Here's what I'm seeing; here's what I'm making up about what I see. I have a lot of questions. Can you help me understand?" Then dig in, take notes, and ask questions, followed by: "I need some time to think about this. Can we circle back tomorrow? I'll come to you if more questions come up, and if you have questions, please come to me.

Not enough people are taking smart risks or creating and sharing bold ideas to meet changing demands and the insatiable need for innovation. When people are afraid of being put down or ridiculed for trying something and failing, or even for putting forward a radical new idea, the best you can expect is status quo and groupthink.

Oh, my God. I feel different. I feel joyful and real. I'm still afraid, but I also feel really brave. Something has changed—I can feel it in my bones." I was healthier, more joyful, and more grateful than I had ever felt. I felt calmer and grounded, and significantly less anxious. I had rekindled my creative life, reconnected with my family and friends in a new way, and most

You are halfway across a tightrope, and moving forward and going back are both just as scary.

Avoidance, the second coping strategy for anxiety, is not showing up and often spending a lot of energy zigzagging around and away from that thing that already feels like it's consuming us. And

What we don't see is that using vulnerability is not the same thing as being vulnerable; it's the opposite—it's armor.

It takes two minutes to say "I know this is due at five o'clock, and the executive summary looks pitch perfect. The tables need some serious work, though. What does support look like?

Social interaction makes us live longer, healthier lives. By a lot. Pinker writes, "In fact, neglecting to keep in close contact with people who are important to you is at least as dangerous to your health as a pack-a-day cigarette habit, hypertension, or obesity.

Daring is saying "I know I will eventually fail, and I'm still all in." I've never met a brave person who hasn't known disappointment, failure, even heartbreak.

Unfortunately, it's been an easy formula throughout history—in politics, religion, and business—that if you can keep people afraid, and give them an enemy who is responsible for their fear, you can get people to do just about anything. This is the playbook for authoritarian leaders here and around the globe.

Disappointment takes a toll on us and our relationships. It requires considerable emotional bandwidth. Researcher Eliane Sommerfeld explains that we come away from the experience of disappointment feeling bad about ourselves and the other person. Our negativity is tinged with astonishment and surprise, and, at the same time we're trying to forgive, we're concealing emotions. We're trying to think positively and urging ourselves to move on. It's exhausting.

only when we're brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light

Cruelty is cheap, easy, and chicken shit

One of your great strengths is attention to detail. You do sweat the small stuff and it makes a big difference in our team. As I look at this, I don't see you applying that skill here, and we need it.

Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception—we want to be perceived as perfect. Again, this is unattainable—there is no way to control perception, regardless of how much time and energy we spend trying.

There are a million cheap seats in the world today filled with people who will never be brave with their lives but who will spend every ounce of energy they have hurling advice and judgment at those who dare greatly. Their only contributions are criticism, cynicism, and fearmongering. If you're criticizing from a place where you're not also putting yourself on the line, I'm not interested in what you have to say.

Look out into that audience again. These are people. Just people.

Shaming and blaming without accountability is toxic to couples, families, organizations, and communities.

Waits by Sue Monk Kidd6 and Pema Chödrön's Comfortable